Baby Markhor Makes Debut at ZooA baby Markhor, a type of wild goat, made its first public appearance in its rocky, hillside enclosure at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on Wednesday morning.

Syracuse, NY -- The Rosamond Gifford Zoo this morning announced the birth of a markhor, the largest member of the goat family.

The female kid born to Edith and Sunny weighed 5.8 pounds at birth on July 20. The kid, that for now goes by the name "Baby," was the first markhor born at the zoo in nine years.

She was introduced to the public this morning.

"There she is! There she is!," whispered some of the 34 first through fourth graders attending the zoo's camp as the foot-tall tawny goat scampered across the rocks and scree enclosure following its mama. "There it goes, there it goes."

“The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has long been committed to international markhor conservation efforts,” said Ted Fox, zoo director. “We’ve been working on expanding our herd over the past year, and the addition of some younger animals is allowing us to make valuable contributions to the North American population.”

The zoo is one of just 12 zoos to exhibit the species which is found in Tajikistan, the Kugitang Tau range of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

An adult markhor will stand up to 45 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 250 pounds. Female markhors have shorter horns and shorter hair on their chin, throat, chest and shanks.

David Lassman / The Post-Standard A baby markhor, a type of wild goat has been born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. The baby with the mother on a rocky hill.

Sunny, Edith and a second adult female, Dizzy, arrived at the zoo within the last year to replace its aging markhor population, which could no longer breed, Fox said.

There are three kinds of markhors. The zoo has the Capra falconeri heptneri, which is isolated in the wild to a few scattered populations in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

An endangered species, their numbers have been greatly reduced by trophy hunting, habitat destruction and competition from domestic livestock, the release stated. There are about 2,500 in the wild.

There may be a subspecies in the northern Afghanistan, Fox said. Keepers know that poachers were in the area before the war, but conservationists have not been able to do a census of the population, he said. They are hopeful that some of the goats survived poachers and the war, Fox said.

The animals are part of the Species Survival Plan, an effort between the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and zoos around the world.

Animal Curator Tom Labarge keeps a stud book for the markhor in captivity and makes recommendations for breeding and transfers for exhibits in other zoos, Fox said.

The baby will be named after consulting with staff and other markhor conservationists, he said.

» Its name comes from the ancient Persian words “mar” and “khor,” which translate into “the snake eater.” Although a male markhor occasionally stomp on snakes to kill them, they are herbivores and simply trying to protect a group of females from danger.